The Other Side Of The Web

Yesterday I went to check my mailbox and once again I was sent some mail from American Express. This time to upgrade to the platinum card. While I usually tear these things up and throw them in the trash, today I decided to do some research. Would it make sense to upgrade from gold to platinum? I was about to find out.

Venturing Out Past Familiar Territory

I’m sure at this point you think this is going to be a story about the benefits of the American Express card. It isn’t. What this is about is what happens when you begin to search for things outside of your wheelhouse. Most of us visit the same sites every day. I think the current standard is somewhere between five and ten, but we all have the places that we go for information. And when we do venture outside of those walls of safety we stumble into uncharted territory.

When I typed in my Google search query, I spent most of my time looking at the links Google sent back. Most of the information on card comparison came from blogs, and most of the content seemingly shared among all the sites. How was I supposed to tell what information was credible? It couldn’t be just because the link landed at the top of my search. That one could easily manipulate with some SEO wizardry. No, what happened was that I entered uncharted territory when I stumbled upon epiphany.

Wrap Up

“I have no method of validating information outside of my wheelhouse.” Yeah, I know how to read links on Google and query for what I want, but how do I find legit information outside of the major websites? At some point, I was wondering if this is where AI comes into play. Maybe one day I’ll be able to ask a question and get the definitive answer back. No need to hunt links and piece together information. But for now, I was faced with the realization of what I already knew. The world wide web is a vast place, and I only swim in one section of the pool.